Airplane



Patented Feb. 23, I932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GIMME (7. ST. LOUIS,O1 FRESNO, GALDOBNIA Application am August a, mo. Serial no. name.

This invention relates-to airplanes, and particularly represents imrovements over the structure shown in my atcnt No. 1 7 49,- 047 datedMarch4,1930;'and also includes features shown in my Patent No. 1,685,888

' dated October 2, 1928.

width, or if the conventional width is re-- tained, to enable theairplane to carry a larger load than can at resent be done.

A further ob ect of the invention is to produce a simple and inex ensivedevice and yet one which will be excee ingly effective for the urposefor which it is designed.

ese objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the'followingspecification and clann. $5 In the drawings similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved airplane as in flight. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the airplane as on the ground.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one of the wings.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawlngs, the

numeral 1 denotes the fuselage of the airplane, of any suitable form andhaving the usual tractor ro er 2 at the front. The wings W, pre era lythree in number, are all the same size and are arranged inlongitudinally separated relation to each other. This relation is suchthat the front and rear win are spaced apart a distance substantial yequal to the length of a wing; said front and rear win being onsubstantially the same level, wh1le the central wing is disposed invertical alinement with but spaced a certain distance above the spacebetween said front and rear wings, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. Thevarious wings are pivoted at one end onto suitable supports 3 pro'ectingupwardly from the fuselage and are all operatively connected, so .thattheir angularity may be altered by-a suitable manually operated controlmeans, which is indicated nerally at as and which is full shown andescribed in 4 the above me ntione Patent N 0. 1,685,888.

Depending from the under surface of each wing are longitudinallyextending air deflector plates 5. These plates are substan- 0o tiallytriangular in form, extending from the front to the rear ed e of thewing and sloping downwardly an rearwardly from their a ex at the forwardedge of the wing. These p ates are arranged in cooperating pairs, the

plates of each pair being connected toeach othcr'throu bout the lengthof their lower edges, but iverging from each other from front to rear orin a longitudinal plane, as well as from their lower edges toward the 79top or in a vertical plane. The wing surface is cut away between theadjacent plates so as to leave triangular openings in said surface as at6, extending from front torear of the wing; said 0 enings being widestat the rear, and the vertical space between the plates at the back beingalso freely open. Triangular shaped pockets, 0 11 along the top and atthe rear are there ore formed.

By reason of this arrangement the same 80 benefits are obtained as werehad in said Patent No. 1,749,047, namely the air passing under the wingsin the troughs 8 formed between the cooperating pairs of plates will begradually deflected laterally and compressed until by the time the airreaches the rear edges of the wings and is released, it will becompressed to such an extent that it exerts a much greater liftingeffect on the wings than would otherwise be the case. At the same timethe compressed air currents passing rearwardly. of the wing, have theeffect of drawing currents of air down and along the pockets 7 which aredisposed be tween the compressed air currents, an action which isenhanced by the peculiar shape of the pockets, which increasein widthand depth to their rear open ends, at which ends they are influencedcurrents.

said com ressed air 7 P we This causes a tendency to vacuum to becreated above the wings so that the downward ressure of the air thereonis relieved. This eature also obviously increases the lifting power ofthe wings, which, as above stated, is

already increased over what is at present obtained by the compressed airunder the same.

It will therefore be seen that by thus increasing the pressure of theair under the wings and lowering it above the wings, said wings willhave relatively great lifting power for .their size, and such size maytherefore be comparatively small as compared to the wing area of anordinary airplane, for the same given lifting capacity. The particulararrangement of the wings relative to each other while providing asubstantially continuous lifting or supporting surface throughout thelength of the airplane, en-

go ables the air compressing and vacuum forming feature of each wing tofunction without interference from an adjacent wing.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations 8 fromsuch detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to se- 36 cure by 'Letters Patent is:

An airplane wing comprising a plurality of plane surfaced membersmeeting together to form a common straight leading edge and eachtapering rearwardly from such edge to form individual straight trailingedges with substantially V-shaped open 5 aces between the adjacent edgesof the mem ers, deflector plates depending downwardly and outwardly fromthe edges of the members and those plates between the members meeting attheir lower edges below such Vshaped openings.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE 0. ST. LOUIS.

